Door for grain-cars.



' J. n. HORTON.

DOOR FOB GRAIN CABS. (Application filed Oct. 10, 1900.)

Patented Nov. [2, I90l.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

IN VENTOB Juga/ffl BY No. 686,299. Patented Nov. l2, I90I.

J. D. HDBTUN.

0008 FOR GRAIN CARS.

' (Application filedOct. 10, 1900.) (No Model.) 2- Sheets-Shunt 2.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH DAVID HORTON, OF DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS.

DOOR FOR GRAIN-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 686,299, dated November 12, 1901.

Application filed October 10, 1900. Serial No. 32,592. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DAVID HORTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Downers Grove, in the county of Dupage and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Door for Grain-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to railroad box-cars for carrying grain, 850.; and its object is to provide a new and improved door which can be conveniently opened for the discharge of the grain and which can be readily folded up and moved out of the Way to give full and convenient access to the car.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car provided with the improvement and with the door in a closed position. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2 2 in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an inner side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view of part of the improvement on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view of another part of the improvement on the line 5 5 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section of the door, showing the device for sliding the door into a folding position.

In each door-opening A of the car A is arranged a door 13, consisting of a bottom section B", a middle section B and an upper section B of which the sections B B are connected with each other by hinges O to allow the bottom section B to swing outward for the discharge of the grain, as hereinafter more fully described. Similar-hinges D connect the middle section B with the upper section B ,so that the latter can be folded upon the inside of the section B when it is desired to hold the door in a folded position near the roof of the car, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The sections B B of the door B rest with their side edges against packing-strips E on the inner arms of angle-iron corner-strips E, se-

cured to the inner corners of the door-posts A, as is plainly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so that said sections B B are held against outward movement. The bottom section B is somewhat shorter and clears at its side edges the corner-strips E, so that this bottom section B can swing outward in the door-opening A for the purpose previously mentioned. The section B has vertically-disposed battens B extending to the car-floor when the door is closed to support the sections B B when in a vertical position and to prevent the section B from swin in inward when the door is in an open folded position.

In order to hold the bottom section B normally in a closed position-that is, against outward 1novement--when the car is loaded with grain and is in transit, I provide locking-levers F, f ulcrumed at F on the outer face of the lower door-section B. Each lockinglever F is formed with a plate F adapted to extend over the side of the lower door-section 13 onto the inner arm of the corresponding corner-strip E, adjacent to the packing-strip E, (see Fig. 4,) to hold the lower door-section B from outward movement. Each lever F is provided at its upper end with a segmental arm F adapted to extend through an eye F secured to the middle door-section E the end of the arm being arranged to pass into a recess in the door-post. The eyes F also form abutments or stops for the upper ends of the levers F to prevent the door from sliding lengthwise of the car and becoming dislocated. A pin F extends downward through an aperture in the eye F and a re istering recess in the side of the arm F to lock the lever in position at the time the plate F engages the door-post, as previously mentioned and shown at the left in Fig. 1. The pin F is preferably hung on a chain F, attached to the door-post A, so as to always be within convenient reach of the operator for locking and unlocking the lever F in the eye F. When the lever F is swung into an open position, then the plate F is clear of the doorpost, as is plainly shown at the right in Fig. 1, and then said lever engages a retainingspring F for holding the lever to the outer face of the lower door-section B, as shown at the right in Fig. 1.

In order to permit of sliding the door-see tions B B upward on the door-posts and to allow of swinging the door into an uppermost folded position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, I provide a hook-pin G on a bracket G, secured to the middle section B at-the upper end thereof, the hook G extending into a vertical guideway formed by a groove A in the inner face of the door-post A and by the inner arm of the strip E, extending part way over the said groove A as is plainly shown in Fig. 4. When the middle door-section B is in a lowermost position, as shown in the drawings, then the hook-pins G are seated in the bottoms of their guideways, and consequently the middle section B and with it the upper door-section B cannot move farther downward, and at the same time the middle section B is held from inward movement by the said hook-pins G.

By the arrangement described the lower door-section B, which reaches with its bottom to the car-floor, can be readily swung outward when it is desired to discharge the grain and at the time the levers F are in an unlocked position without danger of the middle door-section B moving farther downward in the opening previously occupied by the lower door-section B.

On the upper ends of the strips E are secured eyes or bearings H, opening at their inner ends into the grooves A of the guideways, so that when the door-section B is moved upward and the hook-pins G travel in' the guideways and the door-section B is folded upon the door-section B then said hookpins G finally pass into the hearings or eyes H topermit of swinging the door-section B into a horizontal position, the hook-pins turning in said bearings. When the door has been swung into a horizontal position near the roof of the car, then the free end of the lower door-section B moves upon the hooks I, depending from the roof of the car to support the door in a horizontal position completely out of the way to give free access to the car. In order to securely hold the door in this position, the lower door-section B is provided with a keeper B adapted to be engaged by the hook I. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

In order to hold the upper car-door section B against inward movement at the time the door is in a closed position, I provide retaining-hooks J, pivoted to the corner-strips E and arranged to swing inward and move over the upper edge of the door-section B as is plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. When it is desired to fold, the door, the hooks J are first swung upward and outward to disengage the upper car-door section B and then this section is swung inward and downward upon the middle car-door section B (see dotted lines in Fig. 2,) after which the section B is slid upward, the pins Gtraveling in the guideways until the bearings H are reached, and then the door is swung into a horizontal position andconnected with the hooks I for supporting the door in a horizontal position near the roof of the car, it being understood that the lower door-section B then rests on the battens B of the door-section B By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the section B fits close against the under side of the roof-timbers of'the car, so that the door is not liable to be thrown out of engagement with the hooks I by any concussion.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A door for railroad-cars, comprising a lower section, a middle section and a top section, the sections being hinged together, in such a manner that the lower section can swing outward on the middle section and the upper section can swing inward and downward and fold upon the middle section, and locking-levers pivoted to the lower section and arranged to engage the middle section and the door-posts, as set forth.

2. A door for railroad-cars, comprising lower section, a middle section and a top section, the sections being hinged together in such a manner that the lower section can swing outward on the middle section and the upper section can swing inward and downward and fold upon the middle section, locking-levers pivoted to the outer face of the lower section and provided with plates adapted to engage the door-posts and hold the said lower section against movement, the said levers each having an arm at its upper end adapted to extend through an eye on the middle section of the door, the end of said arm being arranged to enter a recess in the doorpost, and a locking device for each lever to hold the same in a closed position, as set forth. I

3. A door for railroad-cars, comprising a door proper made in sections, door-posts on which said sections are mounted to slide, the

- therewith, the upper ends of said corner-strips being provided with eyes or bearings opening into the grooves in the posts, and brackets secured on said door and provided with hookpins extending into the said guideways formed by the vertical grooves in the posts and the angle-iron corner-strips, the said hook-pins being arranged to slide in said guideways and turn in said bearings, as set forth.

4:. A door for railroad-cars, comprising a lower section, a middle section and a top sec tion, the sections being hinged together in such a manner that the lower section can swing outward on the middle section and the upper section can swing inward and downward and fold upon the middle section, retaining-hooks pivoted on the door-posts for engaging the upper section, and locking-le vers pivoted on the lower section for engaging the door-posts and the middle section, as

set forth.

5. A door for railroad-cars, comprising a door proper having a lower hinged section mounted to swing outward, locking levers pivoted on said lower section and formed with plates extending beyond the ends of the lower door-section to engage the car-door posts, each of said levers being provided at its upper end with a segmental arm adapted to engage an eye secured to the door above said lower section, at the time the plate engages the doorpost, and means for locking the lever in position, as set forth.

6. A door for railroad-cars having a lower hinged section mounted to swing outward, and levers pivoted at their lower ends on said lower section, the said levers being provided with plates at their lower ends to engage the car-door posts, the levers having arms at their upper ends, eyes secured to the door above said lower section and through which the said arms are adapted to extend, the ends of the arms engaging recesses in the door-posts, the said eyes being provided with vertical apertures, and pins arranged to engage said eyes and registering recesses in the arms of the levers, to lock the levers in position, as set forth.

7. A door for railroad-cars, comprising a lower section, a middle section and a top section hinged together, the door-posts being provided with angle-iron corner-strips secured to their inner corners, packing-strips on the inner arms or members of the corner-strips,

lower section against movement, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OSEPH DAVID HORTON.

WVitnesses:

M. SLUSSER,

HUGH D. HENNING. 

